Young Oak Vineyards - Vol. 1: In The Beginning

November 23, 2007

Hi all:

As some of you know, we were able to buy a little land in the hills with a run down house that I will be spending the next 20 years remodeling. But here's the thing, we have a perfect south western exposed hillside for grapes and the only thing that is keeping me from putting in a vineyard is all the work & labor (which I should be putting into the house).

So far I have had my soil analyzed and I have too much calcium (possibly a natural geologic phenomenon of the clay around here), so we may have to add some other amendments. I am getting an amendment recommendation from my neighbor, who is with Ridge Winery, actually from his vineyard master. They are also going to recommend a particular varietal best suited for our soil, either Zinfandel or probably Cabernet Sauvignon and probably a clone of the "La Cuesta" Cabernet of Woodside, which I think Dr. Fogerty of Fogerty Winery developed.

Then I got this great idea to "out source" much of the labor as a fund raising item at our daughter's elementary school PTA auction! So, with a little creative packaging we have created an event!! Here is the copy for the auction listing:

This is for all those oenophiles out there. How cool is this? Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 1 for a phenomenal day all about wine from start to finish. BYOS (bring you own shovel!) and plant 8-10 grapevines each at the home vineyard of Kristen Emery and John Sphar. Follow up with a luncheon with Mark Vernon, COO of Ridge Vineyards and Winery, Ltd., for a discussion of wine and wine tasting. For families with young children, they will be entertained by John and Kristen's children. Even better, you'll receive a couple of bottles of the first vintage in about five years after the vines mature!

At any rate, we would love to have all our family & friends join us as well along with the hired help (20 auction winners). It should be a fun day and we hope you all can come. I'll send you details as we get closer to the date, but I gotta get back to diggin' fence posts!

Best regards,
John